1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an auditory playing device for use in auditory education or as a toy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For auditory education to teach children absolute pitches, for example, it has been customary to let them hear sounds of a tuned piano so that they can memorize the tones. However, it is difficult with this method to keep the children interested in the training even if some game-like element such as guessing of tones is added. The method is therefore not an effective education process.
It is known that the younger the children who are given auditory education for absolute pitches, for example, the more effective the education process becomes.
In view of the advantages in the early auditory education, the applicant has proposed, in Japanese patent application No. 3-220714, an auditory playing device which is designed to effectively train children for sharpening auditory senses through playing with a toy. The proposed auditory playing device has an electric circuit connected to a loudspeaker for reproducing and radiating sounds of different tones or voice sounds, and a plurality of tone plates which can selectively be placed, one at a time, in a recess defined in a casing. When one of the tone plates is inserted in the recess, the electric circuit enables the loudspeaker to reproduce and radiate a tone or voice which is indicated by the inserted tone plate.
The proposed auditory playing device is highly effective to train children for auditory education because it operates like a game, keeping the children interested in playing with the device. However, since a selected one of the tone plates has to be accurately positioned with respect to the recess when it is inserted into the recess, the tone plates are required to be specially shaped or marked with a directional picture on their upper surface such that they will be oriented in one way with respect to the recess. The specially shaped or marked tone plates are disadvantageous in that they are limited to a certain shape and may be useless especially with younger children.